Very soon, I’ll be in my mid-thirties. OK, maybe I’ve been there a while, but somehow 35 feels more “mid” to me. I don’t have a lot of profound wisdom to share about aging, especially since I’m just not the type to reflect on past and present around my birthday. Mostly, I just want to celebrate and make the best of what is typically one of the most bitterly cold days of the entire year.
Luckily I have until January 17, my actual birthday, to come to cook up some deep thoughts. And to ponder potential gifties. Many of the items on this year’s wish list are likely to remain wishes forever, but they sure are fun to ponder.
- A bohemian garnet ring - Since garnet is my birthstone, I own a few nice pieces. But I’ve been lusting after a giant, circular, Bohemian ring for years. Set in silver, of course.
- A hot pink full skirt - My full, pleated skirts get loads and loads of wear, but I’m lacking a hot pink one. Since that color is a closet staple for me, I’m on the lookout.
- A Desigual coat - I have a marvelous coat collection, but I would LOVE to add one of Desigual’s bright, busy, printed coats to it.
- Nixon Time Teller in Tortoise
- I adore the classic look of this chunky watch.
- Free French fries for life - Or perhaps a French fry tree. Those can grow in Minnesota, right?
- Ellen DeGeneres – OK, I don’t actually want Ellen gift-wrapped for my birthday. But I’d either like to have coffee with her, or MAYBE have her invite me onto her show. Just maybe.
- An iPad
– I’ve tried to justify this as a business expense, but just can’t. It’d be pure toy. Would still love one.
- Clinique Superbalm in Black Honey
- Finally ponied up for Almost Lipstick, and am now super curious about this balm. I’m a gloss/balm girl at heart.
- The supplies for this DIY - Because I could totally do it and I’d totally love it, but I don’t have any of that stuff on-hand.
- Bright printed skinny pants – All the ones I’ve seen so far look a bit too wallpapery, but I’ve seen a Talbots pair for spring that just might work.
- A Saddleback briefcase – You know, for all my important briefs.
- Trippen boots – I’ve tried on shoes from this German manufacturer before and they are heavenly. Some of the styles are a bit too funky for my taste, but many more are simply stunning.
- Cross country skiing lessons - I need a winter sport. Still. This one seems like the most viable candidate.
- Travel versions of all my toiletries and makeup – Every travel article I’ve ever read recommends this. I never seem to get around to it.
- Sundance Three-bead Linen Necklace - This has been on my wishlist for about four years. It’s one of those items that I know I could make, know I never will, and know I can’t justify the asking price.
- Something Keith Haring. Something other than a tee shirt. - I’d loved his work for years, then saw an exhibit at the Whitney that literally moved me to tears. I’d love a drawing or painting, of course, but would settle for something non-tee-shirt-y. A skirt? A scarf? A mug?
- A self-trimming haircut - What? It’s a WISH list. I can put impossible things on it. I love my stylist, and I love getting a slightly new ‘do every 6 weeks or so … but wow. Short hair. Expensive.
Do you keep a birthday wishlist for yourself? What’s on it for this year? Any overlap with mine? (I mean besides the fries. Those are a wishlist given for all of you, I assume.)
**Disclosure: Actions you take from the hyperlinks within this blog post may yield commissions for alreadypretty.com. See Already Pretty’s disclosure statement for more details.
{ 52 comments… read them below or add one }
I keep promising myself that I will learn to make strung and knotted necklaces (because jewelry wire just isn’t the same). I even have materials for a project, and a fancy little knotting tool. If I can get it working I will totally make you a three-bead linen necklace
I do a yearly wish list, which oddly enough, I tweeted this morning! I’ll be 43 in April… The older I get, the more fine tuned I get with my material wants! I’m pretty minimal and extremely picky! My wants for 2012 include ~ a pair of leg garters ~ bright pink nail polish to match my new MAC Girl About Town lipstick ~ 2-3 heavily carved Bakelite bangles ~ and a miniature top hat with a face net ~
Wishing you a marvelous 35! You’re “Already Pretty”
I’ll be 43 in March… I want an organiser to come to my apartment, tell me exactly what out of my piles of stuff I REALLY REALLY NEED, bring a guy with a truck to take everything else away and donate it, and then create perfectly fitted storage systems in all my spaces for everything else.
Failing that, I’d like another IKEA Pax wardrobe for my front hall, with a lot of shoe racks in it.
And I want my artistic partner to make me one of these Get Uncommon iPhone cases (http://www.getuncommon.com/) with one of his super-nifty doodles.
After that organizer & truck guy are through with your home, you can send them over to mine! Thank you!
Clinique Superbalm is very nice and easy to wear. For a more saturated but still easy to wear balm, I’m newly obsessed with Fresh’s lip sugar in Plum. Really expensive at $22, but I wear it more than anything else!
I would also like unlimited French fries please.
When I plant my French fry tree, you can come over for the harvest.
If you’re ever in eastern Iowa there’s a fantastic little restaurant that offers free fries for life in exchange for a mere “Food Is Important” tattoo: http://www.foodisimportant.com/
January 17th is a great birthday for smart, awesome ladies…I would know, since it’s mine as well!
I love that garnet ring, it may have to go on my wishlist too.
Go Team Capricorn!
Mine is the 16th. Close enough. Team Capricorn!
Happy Early Birthday Sal! I love your wish list, particularly the cross country skiing lessons!
Awesome list! Sign me up for the unlimited fries, as well, please. I’ll be 32 in 9 days (eek!) and have yet to make any kind of wishlist, but yours is inspiring me to do so.
I have a few pair of Trippens, and love, Love, LOVE them! Looking forward to seeing these boots with your outfits.
Quick comment — I got that Desigual coat for Christmas! Or one almost exactly the same. The only difference I can see is that mine doesn’t have the asymmetrical button closure.
I’ll be 57 (not a typo) on Monday, and I really enjoy your blog even though in terms of fashion it’s directed a bit more towards women younger than I am. But it’s really helped me spruce up my look in a manner befitting my advanced age, proving that you can teach an old dog new tricks. I don’t want much for my birthday, but in 2012 I’d like to get rid of a lot of the clutter in my life, clothing and accessories included. I’ve already made a good start. Happy birthday to you Sal, and keep up the good work you do – it’s appreciated by women of all ages!
Happy early birthday to you, too, Carol! And SO glad you’ve been enjoying my blog.
I am 57 also and I love your blog and read it often. I now own many scarves (and know what to do with them), thanks to you. I use to think cardigan type sweaters were for grannies but since seeing what you do with them, I am wanting a few for me now. I agree with the other 57 year old that alot is geared for younger women but I have picked up some great ideas here. Keep up the good work!
Ha, I am 33 and LOVE cardigans!
I share your thought about #6, Ellen DeGeneres. I enjoy her humor immensly and would love to have coffee with her! My sister got me a Birchbox subscription for my 35th, and I loved getting samples of higher end toiletries. I would also like more Splendid, Michael Stars, and Free People clothes!
Sal! Happy Birthday to us!! I’m on the 19th!! Woot Woot! Yeah Capricorn! I love celebrating and ALWAYS have a list of items I’m eying and some that got missed from my Christmas list. I’ve never been as organized about it as you are, but I think you’ve got the right idea chicky… Just might have to put a list out there for all my lovelies looking to get me a little something. I mean… It would be rude not to give them ideas, right!?! Love the Blog… Keep it coming!
Happy early birthday Sally! I turned 35 this fall, and although it was a little strange to realize that, yes, I really would be 40 someday in the not-to-distant future, I do feel and look better than I ever have in my life, and I expect you probably feel the same. It’s amazing the confidence that comes with getting a little older and wiser!
I’ve loved the Black Honey Almost Lipstick for years and bought the gloss/balm a few weeks ago. I love it! It’s shiny but not overly glossy or sticky. The color is just right and gives my lips a hint of rosiness without being too pinky. It’s my new favorite, and I hope you’ll enjoy it, too!
I love Clinique’s Superbalm in Black Honey! I like the feel of it better than the Almost Lipstick, and the color is the same. I wish you could buy it at any Clinique counter, but it’s still only available at Sephora, to my knowledge.
If you want a more natural version of Black Honey, Silk Naturals, one of my favorite makeup brands makes a great clone :http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/nectar-sheer-deep-redbrown-black-honey-clone-p-566.html
I keep a running Amazon wish list of things (not just on Amazon) that I’m interested in. I edit it alllllllll the time & occasionally buy from it, & definitely make sure it’s updated around my bday & xmas
The travel-size toiletries is a good idea if you do any kind of traveling, even long weekends away. Just fill up little bottles with all your fave products & keep it in a drawer. Then you can go whenever. I love that feeling of being able to jet to, oh, Paris if necessary. Not that I do. But I could & I’d still have my special hair conditioner.
First of all, happy birthday. If I don’t say it now, I’ll forget, because that’s what happens when you turn 45! When I was 35 I was knee deep in the land of poopy diapers and toddler tantrums. All I wanted for my birthday was a self-cleaning house and a good night’s sleep. Funny, eleven years later those two things are still on the top of my list. For the past few years I have requested a bathtub. In about a month we are tearing up our house and living in a trailer in order to remodel our bathrooms and give me that bathtub. Moral of the story: be careful what you wish for!
FYI back when you were in diapers we all had Clinique black honey lip gloss in little pots. It was already popular back then.
My b’day is this month also! the 22nd. Lots of January ladies here. I love your list, it’s very inspiring! Maybe I will make my own now.
I especially love the watch!
In your Keith Haring love are you aware of Blik wall decals? They have some really fun Keith Haring designs that would be a great way to add some fun to a room. Far less predictable than a t shirt.
http://www.whatisblik.com/shop/explore?designer=8
K, I saw those at the MCA shop in Chicago a couple of weeks ago and SWOONED. We don’t really have any obliging walls in our home, but if I ever strike it rich and get an office space, you can bet I’ll nab some!
I love your hair stylist, too. Just think: if you had a self-trimming h/c you wouldn’t get to visit with Richard every 6 weeks.
The expense of frequent haircuts is one of the main reasons (excuses?) I’ve put off being brave enough to try a super short haircut.
Happy birthday!
You could so make that 3 bead linen necklace–you can buy the supplies at a big-box craft supply store like Michael’s or AC Moore, or bring a copy of the pictures to a local bead store and ask for help. Good luck!
Hey birthday twin! I have a marc by marc jacobs dress, an All saints skirt, and 2 pairs of sandals (eject and poetic license) on my wishlist.
I also wanted a party with my friends, but they’re all going back to college/work already. So I’m doing responsible things like buying school books, getting prepared for the semester, and “spring” cleaning.
My iPad is pretty much my favorite thing ever. I can’t really use it for work,but it sure is a fun toy.
Seriously after this year- I need to make and keep a list!
If you can wish for impossible things, I can wish for my chocolate allergy to go away. Sigh.
Failing that, I’d like something from All Saints or Rick Owens. I’ve already gotten lots of lovely things for Christmas, so I feel replete at the moment.
Oh Andi, I wish that for you, too! I have bad reactions to sugar myself, so I feel ya.
Happy birthday! May I suggest dancing as a winter sport? Since it’s done indoors it’s really all-season. My favourite is tango. The leading and following skills are interesting ( for an engineer like me : control your energy sounded very weird in the begining) there is moderate lever of moving around , is fun and can be done single or as a couple. Usually the communities around milonga dances are very diverse and interesting
You can totally stretch out or eliminate your haircuts if you have a couple of tools, two or three mirrors, some coordination, and gumption. I totally loved my hairstylist too but after the second or third super short cut, I started cutting my own hair over two years ago and never looked back.
Happy early Birthday. My DH is at the end of this month.
Every 6 weeks for your haircut? Lucky. I go every four weeks. But I like my stylist, and I don’t mind now that I’ve found someone good. I balance it (I tell myself) with using less shampoo, styling product, hair ornaments, etc than I did when my hair was long. And then there’s what my time is worth…no more hours dealing with my hair. I won’t go back.
Happy Birthday, Sal (and all the other January babies)!!!
I turned the big 4-0 this past December. I am still “adjusting” to the age…LOL I don’t feel it nor do I look it; however, I have to take a look at some of my life goals and see where I want to be in the next 3 years – hopefully to move away from Wintersota…haha
As far as garnet rings, check out QVC.com. When I did a search on their website a moment ago for garnet ring, there were at least several pages of options. If you search on there, click on the box which says 24 items are showing per page and click for it to show 96 items per page instead…there were at least 4 pages of rings to look through – so a couple hundred options. You can choose from regular garnet (mozambique red) or tsavorite, hessatite, Brazilian plum, rose blush garnet, etc. As you can probably tell from that listing, I LOVE gemstones….90% of my gemstone pieces come from QVC because of the pricing and the designs. The prices are anywhere from $40 on up….especially check out clearance. To limit to silver pieces, type in sterling silver garnet ring or sterling garnet ring. Before you buy, view the graphics of the piece and click on Video to see a presentation of the piece to see how the ring tapers in the back, to view the actual size of the ring on a hand, and to hear the presenter talk of the design or history behind that particular piece.
As far as birthday list goes, I have been buying (celebrating) by purchasing gemstone jewelry, handbags, and beauty products.
Hope you get most of what is on your wish list and have a wonderful birthday!
Oh, and go to Twin City Grille (at MOA) or Stella’s in Minneapolis to get a full-sized dessert for free on your birthday. Also, if any Joe Sensors are still open, you can get your meal for free as long as you dine in or your birthday (no dessert though)…call to see if they still do that special though. However, I did get free dessert from Twin City Grille and from Stella’s on my birthday since I went out with 2 different sets of friends on my day.
Pazzaluna was running a special of getting your “age” taken off the full price of a bottle of wine anytime you dined in during your birthday week. Check to see if they are still doing that.
On the iPad for business purposes, I got to say you simply need one. Just think: you do on-site consultations, and an iPad is a better way to show pictures and presentations to customers. Or if you’re in a design meeting, it’s easier to take a few quick notes on an iPad, without having the visual “wall” of a laptop screen cutting you from other meeting goers. My company, a large software developer, gives us all laptops, but they are slowly rolling out iPads to everyone as well for that purpose. So ya, totally a business expense!
And since it’s my birthday today and my husband is taking me shopping, this little list is handy! A large garnet ring, eh…
Sally, I too had convinced myself that I didn’t really NEED an iPad, and that it would only be a toy, but I’ve been shocked at how much I’ve used it for non-play purposes since I was unexpectedly gifted with one. I’ve used it several times for work events, made videos that were a breeze to edit and upload, and so many other things. I’m able to do webinars anywhere. I have an app that takes a pitot of any document and turns it into a shockingly high quality scan. I’m doing hair and makeup for a couple of plays right now, and I was able to put together a presentation with downloaded photos that I’d made notes on, as well as styles I’d done on myself as a sample. It really depends on the apps you have available, and Apple has a really robust section of apps in the Productivity category.
Of course, it’s great for play, too. I just recently figured out that although it’s almost impossible to read a physical book on the elliptical, it’s really pretty easy to read an ebook on the iPad while working out.
I don’t think anyone should spend money they don’t have on a luxury item, but you night be surprised at how much you used one if you had it.
I have to also add that you need an iPad for work. I use mine all the time for notes, research, work emails, travel. I use it more for work than my computer. I am no tax attorney, but you can probably write the expense off your taxes.
and free fries for life!
Ugh, picture of any document, that is. The iPad is NOT that great for web commenting.
First time commenting, I think! Love the blog. I also love Black Honey Almost Lipstick- I’ve been wearing it since high school (am 33 now). It’s so versatile.
I too want an iPad. I’m trying to figure out how to justify it, since for my work I need a lot of stats and analysis software that isn’t available for something that small. Fully equipped laptops make more sense. I’m trying to convince myself and the husband that an iPad would be great for conferences and other travel, though- no more lugging the bulky laptop bag through airport security!.
J.Crew just sent me a new catalog. Now I also want a pair of their fabulously-colored ballet flats. Green is usually my favorite/signature color, but the yellow ones are more tempting this year.
You were born the day after me, literally! (I too, will be 35.) I loved your blog before, and now I’m an even bigger fan!!
Dear HM,
please read this list…..
;o)
Hee.
Ah the glorious land of 35! I landed there a couple of months ago and it’s treating me fine so far…
Re: the DIY thing, that is an endless request! Any tiny job around the house is guaranteed to take about twice as long as you’d think and to require about three trips to the hardware store to buy tools and supplies! It’s amazing how many bits and pieces you need! We got given a bunch of old tools and that was a good start. And my husband’s been given tools for birthday and Christmas on and off for years… and we’ve had to go and buy the right type of screwdriver for those screws (for example) when we’re on the job.
We haven’t done a great deal to our house (in case you start to think I’m a master DIY-er), painted the outside and a bit inside, new front door and replaced the garage door, some new light fittings… I’d *love* to totally renovate, but maybe later… (With lots of professional help).
We are the same age! I’m turning 35 on the 28th of this month…Happy Birthday to us!!!